The Human Services category of employment covers a wide swath of industries and many jobs. One of 16 industry clusters that the U.S. Department of Labor monitors, it takes in people who serve individual and family needs. Their work ranges from child care and counseling to training and real estate sales. Learn more about the U.S. Department of Labor’s industry clusters and their economic outlook.
Adults using these resources to help students explore careers may also find it helpful to use the Career Journeys Supplemental Materials we’ve prepared for teachers and counselors.
Achieving development without displacement
As Director of Community Initiatives with a community development organization, Tiffany Taulton focuses on engagement, outreach and grants.
Health depends on the environment
As a Program Manager for Women for a Healthy Environment, Kara Rubio combines her training in public health with her interest in the environment to help schools address environmental issues.
Developing relationships is key to developing young talent
As Vice President and Talent Program Manager for High School Programming at PNC Financial Services, Brianna McMeekin finds that developing relationships is the thing she likes most about her job, and communications are the most important skill.
Bringing advocacy skills to higher education
Chaz Kellem is Director at PittServes, a unit of the University of Pittsburgh’s Student Affairs division. Begun with the Pittsburgh Pirates, his career has taken him through the corporate, nonprofit, and higher education sectors.
Manager, farmer, and community builder, all in one
With a job that calls for administrative and hands-on skills, Raqueeb Bey works alone and as part of a team, staying “stubborn about goals, but flexible about methods.”
Social worker stays rooted in service as farm manager
Farming, social justice, sustainability, and racial equity may not all seem related, but in her role as Agriculture Innovation and Farm Manager for the Greater Washington County Food Bank, Morgan Livingston brings them together.
Helping organizations connect with community
Whether working with adults or kids, several jobs in the nonprofit sector helped Devon Taliaferro realize her passion was community.
What it takes to engage communities
A Community Engagement Manager for any organization will need to write and talk a lot. The job takes someone who is comfortable interacting with people regularly.
Learning what a community needs and wants
The mantra of an Environmental Justice Organizer like Kat Bakrania is “Follow the money, confront the power, make the change!”
Strengthening connections between high school, higher ed, and community
As Director of Programs & Policy Implementation for Northern Illinois University’s Education Systems Center, Edith Njuguna works to strengthen the alignment between high schools and higher ed.
Transferrable skills can help redirect a career
Training and working as a librarian helped Alison Altemus build skills to move in an entirely different career direction. She’s now working as a Grants Manager for Eden Hall Foundation.
Promoting Race & Gender Equity
When she majored in dance, Barbara Johnson had no idea she’d find herself working in the fields of diversity and inclusion.
She’s not in the classroom, but teaching remains a part of her work
Trained as a teacher, Aimee LeFevers calls herself “The Accidental Executive Director.” But her role at Family Resources combines two of her interests–creating systems and working with vulnerable populations.
A political science major finds his way to nonprofit service
A chance encounter waiting tables at the Duquesne Club taught Jaron Paul the value of networking and led him to his job as an Operations Associate at APOST-United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania.
Advocating for people and their environments
As Sustainable Communities Director for the Green Building Alliance, Alyssa Lyon is passionate about advancing environmental justice and ensuring that marginalized people and neighborhoods get the amenities and resources they need.
